Not enough honesty in representation of women: Konkona Sen Sharma

The critically acclaimed actress-director says there's inadequate representation of women in cinema, both on and off screen

IANS
Published: 10th August 2017

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The world of Indian cinema might be brimming with stories and may be churning out about 1,000 films a year, but Konkona Sen Sharma feels it still needs to find a balance on the gender scale. The critically acclaimed actress-director says there are not enough female filmmakers, nor are there varied roles for women.

"There is not enough variety in the representation of women. There isn't enough honesty when it comes to representation of women characters on screen," Konkona said.

But the graph of the skewed sex ratio in the industry is changing for good, she pointed out. "We are going forward. We are making small steps. It is good that we are also self-reflecting upon it and our choices. We are being aware of these things and talking about it. I think this is also important," said the daughter of celebrated Bengali actor-writer-director Aparna Sen.

Be it Mr and Mrs Iyer, 15 Park Avenue, Page 3, The Namesake, Wake Up Sid or Goynar Baksho, Konkona has always picked strong female characters. The actress says, while many films are addressing social issues, there aren't enough things being talked about. "We don't want a film which is just a message film. The film has to be good."

The mother of one also confessed to some adverse conditions that women in the industry face due to the lack of facilities. "There were hardly any bathrooms for women to use, especially in an outdoor (shoot). Before vanity vans, it was very difficult. These are very basic things, these kind of things should exist in the workplace for our workers to work properly. The environment has to be friendly towards women."